bonehill



(NoModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet l. EWS.

c. G. BONEHILL & W. J. MATTE M R A E R I F G N I D A 0 L H G E E R B Patented Aug. 30, 1881.

3 SheetsSheet 3.

(No Model.)

.L 8 8 l b 3 W mw E u. H A T d T. Amm MAG EM Jm .F G m D ML mm m W3 B G 5 no 0 6 4 2 0 N v UNITED STATES.

onEIs'rorHEa e. BONEHILL AND WILLIAM J. MATTHEWS, or BIRMING- PATENT OErIcE.

HAM, COUNTY OF WARWICK, ENGLAND; SAID MATTHEWS ASSIGNOR TO SAID BONEHILL.

BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 246,365, dated August 30.1881.

1 Application filedNovember 11,1880. (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern:

7 Beit known thatWe,GHRISTO?HERGEORGE BONEIIILL and WILLIAM J AMEs MATTHEWS, both of Birmingham, in the county of Warwick, Engiand, have invented new and useful Improvements in Breeeh-Loadin-g Small-Arm s', of which the following is a specification.

' Our invention has reference to breech-load- Eng small-arms of the kind called drop-down guns and our said invention consists of the arrangements or combinations of parts hereinafter described for cooking the internal or concealed hammers of the said guns and for bolting down the barrels of the said guns at the prolonged rib.

Our invention further consists of the arrangement or combination of parts hereinafter described of safety and indicating mechanism, and also of an improved fore-end fastener. We cock the internal hammers of the said guns by means of a cranked lever turning on a pin or axis crossing the body of the gun, the said lever having motion in a vertical plane. The arms of the said lever. are nearly at rightangles to one another. The said lever is situated between the two hammers, and its horizontal arm acts upon pins or projections on the sides of the hammers to cock them. The vertical arm of the said lever passes upward nearly to the under side of the tang of the break-oh, and is acted upon by a top hand-lever having a side or hor zontal motion in the t'ollowin g way:

On the under side of the tang of the break-oft a sliding piece or bolt works. On the under side and near the front end of this sliding piece is a projection or short arm, which engages with a fork at the top of the vertical arm of the cocking-lever described, .The nose or extreme front end of the said sliding piece constitutes a bolt for taking into the prolonged end of the rib between the barrels t'orfastening down the said barrels. The lower end of the axis of the top hand-lever is formed with an eccentric arm or tumbler having a stud upon its end, which stud works in a cross-slot in the sliding piece or bolt. The axis of the hand-lever passes through a longitudinal slot in the sliding piece or bolt. A spring acting upon the cocking-lever gives the snapping action to the sliding piece or bolt and. the return motions to the parts connected with it. When the hand lever is turned aside it operates through the eccentric arm or tumbler on its axis upon the sliding piece or bolt and moves the latter back or toward the butt-end of the gun. By this back motion of the sliding piece or bolt the bolting-nose is withdrawn from the rib and the barrels are un fastened. At the same time the sliding piece acting upon the vertical arm of the cocking-lever turns the iatter on its axis and causes its horizontal arm to lift the hammers to full-cock. The scars of the lock mechanism engage in the ordinary way with the bents in the said hammers and hold them at full-cock. Internal hammers having curved noses to act directly on the cartridges or hammers having flat noses to act upon strikers may be used.

The safety and indicating mechanism is constructed as follows: To the outer or long arm of each of the scars we joint a rod. These rods pass upward, and their reduced upper ends work through holes in -the tang, and also through slots in a safety-slide working on the under side of the tang.' The reduced upper ends of the sear-rods join the other part by shoulders. When the hammers are cocked. and the barrels unbolted by the back motion of the sliding piece or bolt hereinbefore described, the rear end of the said sliding piece acts against and presses back the safety-slide, and the latter engages with the shoulders of the jointed sear-rods. The upward motion of the said rods, and through them the sears, is

hereby prevented, and the said sears cannot be withdrawn from the studs or bents in the hammers to permit of the discharge of the gun. Before the gun can be discharged the safetyslide must be pushed forward by a thumb-plate on the tang, so as to withdraw the said slide from the shoulders of the sear-rods. The sears are now at liberty to rise when acted upon by the triggers and the gun may be discharged. The reduced upper ends of the sear-rods act as indicators to indicate when the gun is cocked or has been discharged-that is to say, when the hammers have been cooked the said reduced ends of the sear-rods are situated below the level of the tang; but when the gun has been discharged the said reduced ends protrude slightly above the level of the tang. A curved depression is made on the underside 5 0f thetop hand-lever, to permit it to pass over oneof the projecting indicators, when the said hand-lever takes its normal. position on the tan O ur improved fore-end fastener is constructed as follows: We connect to the bar of the fore end by a. swellingjoint a bolt. so as to make it capable of a. partial rotation. The said bolt has at its inner end a locking-collar with a radial. opening of the samewidth as the loop I 5 on the under side of the barrels. The rear end of the loop has a cross-opening made in it, in which opening the locking-collar of the rotating boltmay engage. When the bolt is turned so that the opening in its collar is opposite theloop thefore end maybe passed to its seat on the barrels, and by turning the bolt through a quadrant an uncut-away part of the locking-collar enters the opening in the loop, and thereby fastens the fore end in its place.

- To unfasten the. fore end the lockingbolt is turned back until the opening in its collar coincides with the end of the loop, when the fore' end may-be lifted from the loop. A stop on the locking-collar strikes against the loop when the opening in it coincides with the loop, and thereby prevents the fur her motion of the bolt. The locking-collar is turned and fixed in its fasteningposition by a thumb-plate jointed to the outer end of the bolt. This thumb-plate has a vertical motion, and may either be raised from or turned into a slot in a case or box fixed tothe wooden part of the fore end. When the thumb-plate is turned into its slot the bolt is locked, andwhen raised 0 from the slot the bolt is released, and may be turned for engaging its locking-collar with or disengaging it from the opening in the loop.

We will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the mannerin which our invention maybe performed.

Figures 1- and'2 represent longitudinal sections of the breech end of a double-barrel drop down gun constructed according to our invention, the said sections being taken through the, cocking-leversituated between the two internal hammers. Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal section of a portion of the gun without the stock and fore end, the said section being taken through the lock mechanism. In Figs. 1 and 3 the internal hammers are represented in their discharged position and the cockinglever in its normal position. In Fig.2 the internal hammers are represented cooked, the hand-lever on the tang being turned aside. and the cocking-lever being raised to the position in which it fully cooks the hammers. Figs. 4 and 5 represent side elevations of the breech end of they gun,Fi g. 5 exhibiting the position which the indicators, take when the hammers are cocked, and Fig. 4 the position which the indicators take when the hammers have been I discharged. Fig. Grep'resents a plan of the under side of the body.

Fig. 7 represents, in side elevation and plan, the cockinglever detached. .Fig. 8 represents one of the hammers detached. Fig. 9 represents a plan of "upper side of the safety-slide and sliding piece or bolt, which latter is operated upon by the hand-lever and its tumbler indicated bydotted lines. Fig. 10 represents the sliding piece or bolt separately and the tumbler of thehand-leverr The other figures represent portions of the fore-end fastener and safety and indicating mechanism, as

hereinafter described.

The same-letters of reference indicate the same parts in. the several figures of the draw; ings.

a a are the internal hammers of the gun, turning freely on the cross-pin or axis 1), and having curved noses, which act directly on the cartridges; and a a are the studs or projectionson the sides of the hammers by which they are cooked.

c c are the mainsprin gs of thehammers fitted in recesses in the body ofthc gun. (See Fig.6.) 0 d d is the cocking-lever, turning on the fixed pin or axis 0, crossing the body of the gun, the said lever having motion in a vertical plane.

The cocking-leveris situated between the two hammers-a a, the arms 01 d? of the said lever being nearly at right angles to one another. The end of the horizontal'arm d of the said cockinglever is forked, the branches d d of the fork acting upon the pins or projections a a on thesides of the hammers to cock them. (See Fig. 7.) The vertical arm 01 of the cocking-lever passes upward nearly to the under side of the tang, and has a fork or slot in its top. f is the sliding piece or bolt working on the under side of the tang of the break-off. This sliding piece serves to actuate the cocking-lever and safety slide, and. its nose J" engages with the prolonged rib 9 between the barrels for locking down the barrels at the rib. 0n the under side of the said sliding piece f is ashort arm, h, which engages with the fork or slot in the top of the vertical arm d of the cocking-lever.

t is the hand-lever on the tang, through which the cocking and bolting of the gun are effected. The axis hot the hand-lever passes through and works in the longitudinal slot l in the sliding piece or bolt f, andthe said axis IIO It carries an eccentric arm or tumbler, m, the

stud n on which works in the cross-slot p in the sliding piece or bolt f. (See Figs. 9 and 10.)

q is the under locking-bolt, vwhich takes into the lump on the under side of the barrels. The vertical arm d of the cooking lever passes through the-rear end of the bolt q, and said bolt is worked by the motion of the said cocking-lever. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) By means of the spring 9 acting upon the horizontal arm 01 of the cocking-lever the return motions of the said cocking-lever, the bolt q, the sliding piece or bolt f f, tumbler m, and hand-lever i are effected.

The action of the parts is as follows: When the gun has been discharged the several parts occupy the respective positions represented in Figs. 1 and 3. In order to unbolt the gun and at the same time cock the hammer, the top hand-lever, '1', is turned aside into the position represented in Fig. 2. By this side motion of the hand-lever it operates, through the eccentric arm orQtumbler m and its stud 12, upon the sliding piece or boltf, and moves the latter back or toward the butt-end of the gun, and thereby withdraws the nose f of the said sliding piece or bolt f from the rib g and unfastens the barrelsat the said rib. By the back motion of the sliding piece or bolt f the arm h of the said sliding piece, acting upon the vertical arm d of the cocking-lever, turns the latter on its axis 6 and causes the forked end d d of its horizontal arm d to act upon the studs a a of the hammers and lift the said hammers to full-cock, the hammers being held in their cocked position by the sears s s engaging with the bents in the said hammers in theusual way. During the cooking of the hammers the vertical arm (1 of the cocking-lever withdraws the under locking-bolt, q, from the lump on the under side of the barrels. Thus the turning aside of the top hand-lever, i, withdraws the upper and under locking bolts, ,f, and q, and at the same time cooks the hammers through the operation of the sliding piece fand cocking-lever d d, the several parts occupying the respective positions represented in Fig. 2. 0n loosening the top hand-lever, 1',

- the said hand-lever, the cocking-lever dul and the top and under bolts, f f q, take the normal positions represented in Figs. 1 and 3 by the action of the spring 1', leaving the hammers in the cocked positions represented in Fig. 2. v

The gun is discharged by pressure on the triggers in the ordinary way.

The cooked and discharged positions of the internal hammers, a a, are indicated in the following inanner: On the outside of the body t of the gun, and turning freely on the axis of thehammers as a center, is a pointer or indieating-finger,- u, (see Figs. 4, 5, and 6,) which is fixed to the hammer a by the screw-pin a,

. passed through and workingju a curved slot,

20, in the body t. The said pointer or indicat-.

ing-finger is thereby made to partake of the motion of the hammer, and when the said hammer is cocked the pointer or indicating-finger is situated horizontally on the body, as represented in Fig. 5; but when the said hammer has been discharged the pointer or-indicatingfinger has the inclined position represented in Fig. 4. Each of the hammers has attached to it a pointer'or indicating-finger of the kind described and represented.

For the purpose of locking the triggers by the act of cooking the gun, and thereby putting the gun into a position of safety, we employ a safety-slide, at, working on the under side of the tang, the fore end of the said slide carrying a hanging rod,y, which is situated over piece or bolt f the rear end the two triggers of the gun, the said triggers being provided with shoulders or raised parts 3;; (See Figs.1 and 2.) The said safety-slide a: is slightly elastic, and is held in its acting and withdrawn positions by means of the fixed stud m on the tang taking into a depression in the upper side of thesafety-slidc, as seen in Fig.

2, or bearing against a shoulder on the said safety-slide, as seen in Fig. 1. The safety-slide :r is withdrawn out of action by means of the. thumb-plate 2, When the hammers are cocked and the barrels unbolted by the back motion of the sliding of the said sliding piece bears against and presses back the safety-slide m, and slide is brought over the shoulders or projections g on the two triggers, and the said triggers are charged by pressure on the said triggers, as represented in Fig. 2. Before the gun can be discharged the safety-slide a: must be pushed forward intothe position represented in Fig. 1 by acting upon the thumb-plate :5. By the forward motion of the slide the rod y is withdrawn from over theshoulders y of the triggers, which are thus nn bolted and may now be lifted for dis- 'chargin g the gun in-the ordinary way.

Instead of locking the triggers by the act of situated on the top of the tan locked and the gun cannot be disthe depending rod 3 of the said unbolting and cocking the gun, the sears may.

be locked by the same motion and the positions of the hammersindicat-ed. This part of our invention is represented in the side elevatious of the gun in Figs. 11 and 12, and in the separate view of safety-slide in Fig. 13 and the sear and sear-rod in Fig. 14.

7 To the outer or long arm of each of the scars s a rod, 2, is jointed at 2*. These rods pass upward, and'their reduced upper ends, 3., work through holes in the tang, and also work in the side slots or recesses, a, as", in the safety slide :0. (See Fig. 13.) 4 is a shoulder near the upper end of the sear-rod 2. When the hammers a a are cocked and the barrels unbolted by the action of the sliding piece or bolt f, as hcreinbefore described, the said sliding piece f presses back the safety-slide a: and the latter engages with the shoulders 4 of the jointed sear-rods 2, as represented in Fig. 12. The upward motion of the said sear-rods 2, and through them the scars, is thereby prevented, and the scars cannot be withdrawn from the bents in the hammers to permit of the discharge of the gun. Before the gun can be discharged the safety-slide :0 must be pushed forward by its thumb-plate 2 into the position represented in Fig. 11. The slidemis thereby withdrawn from the shoulders 4 of the searrods 2, and the seats are now at liberty to rise when pressed by the triggers todischarge the, gun. The reduced upper ends, 3, of the searrods 2 act as indicators to indicate when the gun is cooked or has been discharged. When the hammers a a have been cocked, as shown in Fig. 12, the reduced ends 3 of the sear-rods 2 are situated below the level of the tang,

' said reduced tang,

sion on the under side of the top hand-lever,

' detached from the gun in Figs. 15,

Figsl and 16 representplans of the-upper,

, improved fastener, I 5

gun has been discharged the ends protrude above the said as shown in Fig. 11. A curved depresand when the 1', permits the said hand-lever to pass over one of the projecting indicators 3, when the said hand-lever takes its normal position on the tang.

Ouritn proved fore-end fasteneris represented in connection with the gun in Figs. 1 and 2, and 16, and 17.

or inner sides of the fore end containing our and Fig. 17 represents the fastener separately in section and plan.

5 is the bolt of the fastener, turning or swiveling on the pin or center 6, secured to the bar of the fore end.- 5* is the locking-collar at the inner-end of the bolt 5, the said collar having in it a radial opening, 5", of the same width as the loop 7 on the under side of thebarrels, In the said loop 7 is an opening, in which the lockingcollar 5 of the bolt 5 may engage. (See Figs. 1 and 2.)

Jointed to the bolt 5 is a thumb-plate, 8, for turning it and looking it in'its fastened position. This thumb-plate 8 can either be turned into a slot in the metal case or box 10 of the fastener fixed to the wooden part of the fore end, as illustrated in Fig. 1, or be raisedout of the said case or box, as represented in-Fig. 2 and indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. When the thumb-plate 8 is' turned out of the case or box 10 the locking-collarf-J of the bolt 5 can be tqrned through a quadrant, so as to make its opening. 5 coincide with or remove its opening from the loop 7 on the barrels. When the bolt5 is turned so that the opening 5 'in its collar 5 is opposite the loop 7, as seen in Fig. 16, the fore end may be passed to its seat on the barrels, as seen in Fig. 2, and by now turning the bolt through a quadrant by its thumb-plate 8 an uncut-away part of the locking-collar5 enters the opening in the loop 7, and thereby fastens the fore end in its place,

as represented in Figsl and 16. The thumbplate 8 is 'now turned intoits place in the box or'case 10 and fixed in that position by the spring-snap fasteningll (see Fig. 17) at its free end engaging with a shoulder at the end of the said box or case. To unfasten the fore end the thumb-plate 8 is turned out of its case 10 by prizingits free end, and is then turned eccentric arm or tumbler m against the solid part of the loop 7 when the opening in the said collar coincides with the loop, and thereby prevents the further motion of the bolt, as seen in Fig. 16.

Having now described the nature of our invention and the manner in which the same is performed, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our invention of improvements in breech-loading small-arms of the kind-called drop-down guns 1. The arrangement or combination of parts hereinbefore'described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, for cooking the internal hammers of the said drop down guns by the turning aside of a top hand-lever-that is to say, the combination, with the hammer, of the cranked lever (1 d sliding piecef h, and n of the top handlever, t, the said parts being arranged and operating substantially as described and illustrated.

2. The -sliding piece .20, having slots or recesses :0, combined with the sear rod or piece 2, extending from the sears, and having a shoulder, 4,- and reduced upper ends or points 3, serving as projecting indicators, said parts acting in combination substantially as described.

3. The construction and combination of the parts of fore-end fasteners for drop-down guns herein before described,and illustrated in Figs.

1, 2, 15, 16, and 17 of the accompanying drawings-that is to say, a fore -end fastener consistin g, essentially, of the rotalin g bolt 5, swiveling on the pin or center 6, locking-collar 5 at the inner end of said bolt, and having in it a radial opening, 5 stop5, and jointed thumbplate 8, the said parts being constructed, ar-- ranged, and operating scribed'and illustrated.

o. e. BoNEHILL. 4 W. J. MATTHEWS.

Witnesses: i 1

ARTHUR ,BETTERIDGE, ARTHUR TUNSTALL.

substantially as -de- 

